Certain technologies suitable for administration by inhalation employ liposomes and lipid complexes supply a prolonged therapeutic effect of drug in the lung. These technologies also provide the drug with sustained activities, and the ability to target and enhance the uptake of the drug into sites of disease.
Inhalation delivery of liposomes is complicated by their sensitivity to shear-induced stress during nebulization, which can lead to change in physical characteristics (e.g., entrapment, size). However, as long as the changes in characteristics are reproducible and meet acceptability criteria, they need not be prohibitive to pharmaceutical development.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients have thick mucus and/or sputum secretions in the lungs, frequent consequential infections, and biofilms resulting from bacterial colonizations. All these fluids and materials create barriers to effectively targeting infections with aminoglycosides. Liposomal aminoglycoside formulations may be useful in combating the bacterial biofilms.